Foot guard



Marh 27', 1934i A. A. s'rRAuss 1,952,294

f FOOT GUARD f Filed oct. 15, 19s; I

Patented' Mar. 27, 1934 lssazaiA FOOT GUARD Albert A, Strauss,Pittsburgh, Pm Application October 13, 1933, Serial No. 693,506 9claims. (c1. ae `7z This invention relates to shoe guards of the typeused to protect the blows produced by fa g articles and from the effectsproduced` by the spilling of molten metal and other injurious substancesfrom receptacles onto the feet. i

Workmen in coal and other mines are constantly in danger of having theirfeet injured .by the fall of heavy chunks of coal or other objects.Various manufacturing processes require the handling of heavy objects,ladies of molten metal and the like and, in the establishments whereinsuch processes are carried out there is great' liability to footinjury-produced by accidental dropping of weights, molten metal or othercorrosive fluids. These injuries usually affect the instep and toeportion of the foot.

Among the objects of the present invention are to provide a novel an'deilicient shoe guard of rigid material adapted to be carried by a shoein spaced relation to the top and sides of the in, step and toe portionsof a shoe; to so attach this guard to the shoe that it will normally beheld with its sideedges spaced above the floor or other surface on whichthe shoe rests; to arrange the -attachment of the guard to the shoe insuch manner that the guard may be depressed when struck by a weight sothat it will rest on the ground or surface supporting the shoe; to so.shape the guard that, lwhen depressed, it will f'orm` an effective archfor supporting a superimposed weight without coming in contact ,with theshoe;

- and to provide -attaching means forsuch a guard whereby, without theuse of straps, bucklesand the-like, the guard may be readily attached.to and detached from any shoe which it is desired fto equip with theguard.

With the above and other objects in view, one embodiment.. of theinvention `will now be described in detail and specifically claimed,reference beinghad to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the guard partly in section and showingthe sameapplied to a d shoe with the guard in normal position vin fulllines and in weight supporting position in dotted lines.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of th'e guard removed from the shoe`Figure 3 is a bottom applied to a shoe.

Figure 4 is a detail section of Figure 3.

The g'uard body 10 is `formed of any suitable rigid material such asbre, metal, leather or other stiff and rigid material capable, whenformed as an arch, of'supporting heavy blows or weights without seriousdeformation.

on the line 4 4 feet from injury by heavy plan view of the guard Thev.springs which yield when the half dome adapted to cover the toe of ashoe. A

structure of this kind when resting with the edges 13 on a supportingsurface forms a strong support highly resistant to deformation againstblows and the pressure of heavy objects.

A transverse strap or support 15 extends across the shield or guard 10within the forward part thereof and has downturned ends 16 tting againstthe lower side-walls of the guard. Rivets or bolts 17 secure thesedown-turned ends to the sidewalls. This member 15 is preferably formedof flexible material and serves to hold the for,

ward part of the guard spaced from the shoe S and normally spaced fromthe surface on which the shoe rests.

A `reinforcing arch 1s is fitted within the rear l portion of the guard10 and closely engages lagainst the archll and side walls 12 of thisrear portion.

Preferably this reinforcing arch is made of spring metal. Rivetsv or bolts 19 pass through the arch 18 holdingvit firmly in position. `Opposedprongs 20 extend toward each other from the lower 'ends of the arch 18and are preferably formed by continuations of the material o'f the arch18. It will be noted that these prongs lie normally in a substantiallyhorizontal plane both longitudinally and transversely, the arch materialbeing not only bent `inwardly but also spiral twisted to thus form saidprongs.

A socket'member 21 is xedly secured to the shoe sole beneath the shoearch or instep portion as by nails or rivets 22.y This socket member isprovided with a slot 23 extending transversely of the shoe and of propersize and shape to receive'the ends of the prongs 20. Means, here shownby the boss or nipple 24 struck from the socket material, are providedto limit the insertion of the prongs 20 into the slot 23 so that thereinforcing arch 18 d the guard 10 are properly centered transve sely ofthe shoe S. The guard 10 is suilciently wide so that, when thuscentered, its side walls will be well spaced from the sides 'of the shoeand the height of the reinforcing arch 18 above the prongs is such thatthe guard and arch are constantly held spaced above the shoe even`whenthe guard is depressed by a blowv or weight so that its edges 13 rest onthe ground or shoe supporting surface. From an inspection of Figure '3it will be seen that only the end portions of the prongs 20 engage inthe socket so that those parts of the prongs which lie between the lowerends of the reinforcing arch and the socket constitute guardv receives adownward blow or has a weight imposed thereon. Consequently Aan impactfrom a falling body, such as a chunk of coal, instantly carries theguard downwardly so that the force of the blow is transmitted to theground, free from the shoe. As the space between the top of the shoe andthe inside wall of the foot-guard is greater than the normal distancebetween the bottom edge of the guard and the ground, when the guard isstruck by a blow or a falling weight, the foot is always protected fromthe force of the blow by a space above the shoe. As soon as the weightis removed the springs 2 lift the guard into normal position 'supportedby the shoe above the ground. The guards, therefore, do not interferewith the natural Walking.

In applying the guard to a shoe the forward part ofthe shoe is passedthrough the reinforcing arch until the prongs are opposite the socketmember. Then one of the prongs is inserted in the socket after which thelower part of the reinforcing arch is spread and the other pronginserted in the socket. Theguard is removed by reversing the steps ofthis operation.

I claim:-

1. A shoe guard comprising a rigid body shaped to cover the top andsides of the forward portion of a shoe in spaced relation thereto whenthe body and shoe are resting on the groundor a supporting surface, andyieldable means for securing the guard to a shoe in spaced relation tosuch surface, said means permitting the lower edge of the guard to bearupon said surface when forced down by a weight. ,y

2. A shoe guard for the forward portion of a shoe comprising atransversely arched body having substantially vertical side walls, saidbody being wider than the shoe to which it is to be `applied and beinghigher than the shoe at corresponding points inthe length of the shoeand guard, and means for yieldingly securing said body to a shoe withthe lower edges of the body in spaced relation above a plane tangent tothe bottom of the shoe. t

3. A shoe guard comprising a rigid body shaped to cover the top andsides of the forward portion of a shoe in spaced relation theretowhenthe body and shoe are resting on the ground or a supporting surface,means to hold the forward portion of the body in spaced relation to theshoe, a socket member adapted to be secured to the under side of thearch of ashoesole, and prongs extending from the lower rear portions ofthe body and havingther ends removably tt'ed in the socket member. f

4. A shoe guard comprising a rigid body shaped to cover the top andsides of the forward portion of a shoe in spaced relation theretowhenthe body and shoe are resting on the ground or a supporting surface,means to hold the forward portion of the body in spaced relation totheshoe, a socketmember-adapted to be secured to the under side of the archof a shoe sole, prongs extending from the lower rear portions of thebody and having their ends removably tted in the socket member, andmeans to limit the insertion of .said prongs in said socket member.

5. A shoe guard comprising a rigid body shaped to cover the top andsides of the forward portion of a shoe in Aspaced relation thereto whenthe body vand shoe are resting on the ground or a Supporting surface, atransverse strap extending across the forward part of the body andhavaosaaai ing its ends secured to the side walls of the body,l areinforcing arch secured within the body at 'the rear end thereof,opposed prongs extending from the lower ends of the arch, and a socketmember adapted to be fixed beneath the arch of the/shoe sole and havinga transverse slot with the ends of the prongs removably engaged therein.

6. A shoe guard comprising a rigid body shaped to cover the top andsides of the forward portion of 'a shoe in spaced relation thereto whenthe body and shoe are resting on the ground or a supporting surface, atransverse strap extending across the forward part of the body and'having its ends secured to the side walls of the body, a reinforcingarch secured within the body at the rear end thereof, opposed prongsextending from the lower ends of the arch, a socket member adapted to befixed beneath the arch of the shoe sole l'and having a transverse slotwith the ends of the prongs removably engaged therein, and means tolimit the insertion of the prongs in said slot, the portions of theprongs projecting from the slot forming springs normally holding thebody spaced from said surface.

'1. A shoe guard for the forward portion of a shoe comprising atransversely arched body having substantially vertical side walls, saidbody being wider than the shoe to which it is to be applied and beinghigher than the shoe at corresponding points in the length of the shoeand guard, a transverse strap extending across the forward part of thebody and having its ends secured to the side walls of the body, areinforcing arch secured within the body at the rear end thereof,opposed prongs extending from the lower ends of the arch, anda socketmember adapted to be xedbeneath the arch of the shoe sole and having atransverse slot'with the ends of the'prongs removably engaged therein.

8. A shoe guard for the forward portion of a shoe comprising a'.transversely arched body having substantially vertical side walls, saidbody being wider than the shoe to which it is to be applied and beinghigher than the shoe at corresponding points in the length of the shoeand guard, a transverse strap extending across the forward part of thebody and having its ends secured to the side walls of the body, areinforcing arch secured'within the body at the rear end thereof,opposed prongs ,extending from the lower ends of the arch, a socketmember adapted to be fixed beneath the arch of the shoe sole and havinga transverse slot with the ends of the prongs 4removably engagedtherein, and means to'limit the insertion of said prongs in said slot,

.the portions of the prongs projecting from the slot forming springsnormally holding the body spaced above the surface on which the shoe towhich it is applied may rest. A

9. A shoe guard comprising a rigid body shaped `to cover the top andsides of the forward portion -of a shoe in spaced relation thereto whenthe body and shoe are resting on the ground or a supporting surface,means to hold the forward portion of the body in spaced relation to theshoe, and resilient means detachably secured to the sole of the shoe andyieldably supporting the rearward portion of the guard, said resilientmeans permitting the lower edge of said body to bear'upon saidsupporting surfaceLwhen forced downwardly.

ALBERT A. S'I'RAUSS.

